Forestry back at the Cabinet table in Scotland

In his letter to Ms Gougeon, Mr Goodall praised her predecessor - but stressed that Scotland had lost momentum and was off the pace on its ambitious tree planting targets. 

He wrote: "I am delighted that the £1 billion forestry and wood processing industry is again represented by a Cabinet Secretary.  Confor considers this appropriate, not just because of the 25,000+ jobs the industry supports across rural Scotland, but also because of the challenges ahead - not least meeting woodland creation targets from the 2021 SNP manifesto. 

"As you will be aware, the government’s aim is to increase targets for new woodland creation up to 18,000 hectares per year by 2025 - but Scotland is not on track to achieve these targets. Last December, the Climate Change Committee said; 'While Scotland’s tree-planting rates are higher than those in the rest of the UK combined, rates have recently plateaued and are off track [to meet the 2024/25 target].'

"Confor and the whole sector wants to work with you and colleagues to do all we can to reverse that trend and get woodland creation back on track - to support both the fight against climate change and Scotland’s rural economy."

Mr Goodall said: "I met Mairi Gougeon several times in her previous role and she was always positive and constructive about the forestry and wood industry. I look forward to meeting her soon to resume that positive relationship."